Container Having Barrier Properties and Method of Manufacturing the Same

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a multilayer or a monolayer plastic container is disclosed. The container has a barrier layer manufactured from (i) a polyester resin, preferably an aromatic polyester resin such as a polyethylene terephthalate, (ii) a polyamide material, preferably an aromatic polyamide material, and (iii) an oxygen scavenging material, preferably a transition method. The present invention also provides containers having a multilayer or a monolayer body. In the preparation of the barrier layer. a preform first is prepared by an injection-molding process wherein a preblend containing a diluent polyester, polyamide material, and an oxygen scavenging material is added to a base polyester during the injection molding process. The preform then is expanded to form a container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to plastic containers and methods ofmanufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention isdirected to multilayer and monolayer containers having excellent barrierproperties and having at least one layer manufactured from a polyesterresin, a polyamide material, and an oxygen scavenging material:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many packaged products, particularly food and beverage products, aresusceptible to deterioration due to oxygen and/or moisture absorption orloss through the wall of the package. Therefore, containers, eitherrigid, semirigid, flexible, lidded, collapsible, or a combinationthereof, not only serve as a package for the product, but also helpprevent the ingress of undesirable substances from the environment.

Atmospheric oxygen is one of the most reactive substances with productspackaged in a container. Molecular oxygen (O₂) is reduced to varioushighly reactive intermediate species by the addition of one to fourelectrons. The carbon-carbon double bonds present in virtually all foodsand beverages are particularly susceptible to reaction with thesereactive intermediate species. The resulting oxidation productsadversely affect the performance, odor, and/or flavor of the product.

“Oxygen sensitive” materials, including foods, beverages, andpharmaceutical products, have special packaging requirements includingpreventing the ingress of exterior oxygen into the package and/orscavenging of oxygen that is present inside the package. In some cases,particularly in the orange juice and brewing industries, oxygen isremoved from the product by vacuum, inert gas sparging, or both.However, it is difficult and expensive to remove the last traces ofoxygen by these methods.

Containers made exclusively of glass or metal provide an excellentbarrier both to egress of substances from the container and to ingressof substances from the environment. In most instances, gas permeationthrough a glass or metal container is negligible. Containers made ofpolymers, in whole or in part, generally do not possess the shelf lifeor barrier properties of glass or metal containers. Therefore, despitethe great advantages of polymers, deficiencies restrict their use incontainers.

The advantages of polymers include good mechanical, thermal, and opticalproperties, and an adaptability of container fabrication techniques thatprovides homogeneous, laminated, and/or coated containers. A furtheradvantage of containers made from polymers include a light weight,reduced breakability, and low manufacturing cost.

Because of these advantages, the packaging industry is progressivelyshifting to plastic containers. This trend relates both to beveragecontainers, including carbonated beverages, and to food containers. Inall these applications, insufficient barrier properties of the plasticmaterial, particularly an insufficient capacity to prevent the passageof gases, e.g., oxygen and carbon dioxide, and vaporized liquids, e.g.,water vapor, results in a reduced shelf life for products packaged inthe plastic containers.

A number of solutions to overcome problems associated with plasticcontainers have been proposed. However, the proposed solutions failed tomeet the commercially established requirements of low cost, incombination with high barrier properties, such that containers preparedfrom a plastic material can be practically employed. Examples ofproposed solutions include:

a) laminates wherein two or more layers of a polymeric material areused, and the polymeric material in each layer optionally possesses abeneficial barrier property, for example, gas penetration, lightpenetration, or moisture penetration;

b) constructions wherein a metal, such as aluminum, either is positionedbetween layers of polymeric materials or forms the inner surface of thecontainer; and

c) constructions wherein a layer of barrier material, other than ametal, is positioned between layers of a polymeric material or forms theinner surface of the container.

Other proposed solutions are those wherein plastic materials ofdifferent types are mixed, then molded to form containers. For example,it is known to manufacture containers of polymeric material containing amixture of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide. See, forexample, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,501,781; 4,837,115; 5,034,252;5,258,233; 5,281,360; 5,641,825 and 5,759,653.

In particular, attempts to solve problems associated with polymeric,i.e., plastic, containers led to the widespread use of oxygen barriersand/or moisture barriers in packaging materials. Typical moisturebarriers include polyethylene and polypropylene. Oxygen barriers includeethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH),nylon, and blends thereof. Vinylidene chloride/-vinyl chloridecopolymers and vinylidene chloride/-methyl acrylate copolymers are usedas both moisture and oxygen barriers.

It is difficult to manufacture commercially useful plastic containerssolely from barrier materials because of their high cost, unstablestructural properties, and other drawbacks. For example, EVOH hassuperior oxygen barrier properties, but suffers from moisture problemsbecause of the plurality of hydroxyl groups on the polymer. Otherbarrier materials are sufficiently expensive such that containersmanufactured solely from such materials is cost prohibitive.Accordingly, it became a common practice to manufacture multilayerstructures whereby the amount of an expensive or sensitive barriermaterial is reduced to a thin layer, and an inexpensive polymer ispositioned on one or both sides of the barrier layer as structurallayers.

Although multilayer structures containing a barrier layer are lessexpensive and structurally stronger than a single layer of barriermaterial, such containers are more complicated to manufacture thansingle-layered containers. In addition, reducing the thickness of thebarrier layer in a multilayer container often reduces the barrierproperties of the container. Accordingly, in addition to multilayercontainers having a barrier layer, there is a need in the art for amonolayer container having high barrier and structural properties, butwithout the high cost associated with a container prepared solely from abarrier material.

One material commonly used in packaging applications is polyethyleneterephthalate resin, hereafter referred to as PET. PET has a number ofadvantageous properties for use in packaging applications, but PET doesnot possess the gas barrier properties that are required or desired inmany applications. For example, although PET has good oxygen barrierproperties for carbonated juices, PET has not been useful as a packagematerial for other products, such as beer which rapidly loses flavor dueto oxygen migration into the bottle, citrus products, tomato-basedproducts, and aseptically packed meat. A packaging material withphysical properties similar to PET is polyethylene naphthalate (PEN).PEN has barrier properties greater than PET, but PEN is considerablymore expensive than PET.

Extremely impermeable polymers, such as copolymers of ethylene and vinylalcohol, vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride, and m-xylylenediamineand adipic acid (i.e., MXD6) exist. But because of practical or costreasons, these copolymers typically are used as thin layers on orbetween PET layers or, in the case of MXD6, for blending with PET, inlow weight percent amounts, to achieve an insignificant gaspermeability. Also, using a xylylene group-containing polyamide resinwith PET in amounts greater than 30% by weight causes the container tobecome a laminated foil structure thereby providing the possibility ofexfoliation between the foil layers of the container.

From the foregoing, it is appreciated that the art requires an improvedplastic, multilayered or monolayered container having excellent barrierproperties for gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Products thatcan be satisfactorily packaged within such containers include, forexample, beer (particularly lager beer), wine (particularly white wine),fruit juices, carbonated soft drinks, fruits, nuts, vegetables, meatproducts, baby foods, coffee, sauces, and dairy products. Multilayer andmono-layer plastic containers having excellent barrier properties, andmethods of preparing the same, are disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method of preparing a multilayeror monolayer plastic container having excellent barrier properties. Thecontainer has at least one barrier layer comprising (i) a polyester,(ii) a polyamide material, and (iii) an oxygen scavenging material. Thebarrier layer of the multilayer container, or a mono-layer container, isprepared using an injection molding or extrusion process wherein apreblend comprising a diluent polyester, a polyamide material, and anoxygen scavenging material is added to a base polyester during theinjection-molding or extrusion process.

More particularly, the present invention is directed to a plastic,multilayer or monolayer container prepared by an injection-molding orextrusion process wherein the container comprises at least one barrierlayer prepared from an aromatic polyester, an aromatic polyamide, and atransition metal oxygen scavenger. For monolayer containers, the barrierlayer is the sole layer of the container. For a multilayer or monolayercontainer, the container is formed by expansion of a preform having abarrier layer. The preform is prepared by an injection-molding orextrusion process wherein the barrier layer is formed from a preblendadmixed with a base polymer in a molding apparatus prior to injectionmolding or extrusion to form the preform.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a preformhaving a barrier layer, the barrier layer is prepared by injectionmolding or extruding a base polyester having added thereto a preblendcontaining a diluent polyester, a polyamide material, and an oxygenscavenging material. Typically, the preblend is added to the basepolyester in the molding apparatus in the form of pellets or granulesprior to injection.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a preblendcomprising (a) about 25% to about 75%, by weight, of a diluentpolyester, (b) about 25% to about 75%, by weight, of a polyamidematerial, and (c) about 20 to about 2000 ppm of a transition metaloxygen scavenger. The preblend is introduced to, and admixed with, thebase polyester prior to the injection step of an injection molding orextrusion process to form a barrier layer of a preform. The preform thenis expanded to provide a multilayer or monolayer container. The diluentpolyester and the base polyester can be the same or different, forexample, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polyethylene naphthalate(PEN), or a mixture thereof.

A preblend used in the present method exhibits excellent stability,i.e., has a greater stability after six months storage at 25° C. and 40%relative humidity than a blend containing only a polyamide material andan oxygen scavenger material under the identical storage conditions.

The preblend and base polyester are admixed in an amount of about 0.5%to about 20%, and preferably about 1% to about 15%, by weight, of thepreblend and about 80% to about 99.5%, and preferably about 85% to about99%, by weight, of the base polyester. More preferably, the preblend andbase polyester are admixed in an amount of about 2% to about 12%, byweight, of the preblend and about 88% to about 98%, by weight, of thebase polymer. Typically, the preblend and base polymer are admixed insufficient amounts to provide a preform containing about 10 to about 80ppm, and preferably about 20 to about 50 ppm, of the oxygen scavengingmaterial.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a multilayer ormonolayer container having a barrier layer prepared by the presentmethod wherein oxygen barrier properties are activated after contactwith water.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide multilayercontainers by expansion of a preform, said multilayer containercomprising (a) central barrier layer containing a diluent polyester, apolyamide material, and an oxygen-scavenging material prepared inaccordance with the present method, and (b) inner and outer layers of aformable polymer.

Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method ofmanufacturing a mono-layer plastic container by injection molding orextruding a base polyester comprising an aromatic polyester, havingadded thereto a preblend comprising a diluent polyester comprising anaromatic polyester, a polyamide, and a transition metal oxygenscavenging material. In preferred embodiments, the aromatic polyester ofthe base polyester and preblend, same or different, comprises PET, PEN,or a mixture thereof; the polyamide is an aromatic polyamide, forexample, a xylylene polyamide; and the transition metal oxygen scavengercomprises a salt or a complex of iron, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium,rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, or mixtures thereof.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a monolayercontainer comprising a polyester, a polyamide material, and an oxygenscavenging material. The monolayer container has excellent structuralstrength and maintains a high barrier capacity during storage becauseactivation of oxygen scavenging is initiated after filling of thecontainer with an aqueous product. The container also exhibits excellentesthetic properties, especially with respect to clarity of thecontainer.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the, following

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Containers for products such as beer and juice require sufficientbarrier properties to maintain the integrity of the product. Aspreviously discussed, plastic containers typically require additives toprovide or enhance barrier properties. Often barrier properties areachieved by providing a multilayer container having a barrier layer. Itwould be desirable to provide improved multilayer containers, ormonolayer containers having sufficient barrier properties to maintainthe integrity of the packaged product.

There are several factors that affect the appearance and performance ofpolymer-based containers comprising at least one layer of a barriermaterial. These factors include the shear experienced by the barriermaterial during the molding process, the thermal history of the materialduring the drying and molding processes, and the exposure of the barriermaterial to air. Air exposure can degrade barrier materials by oxidativeprocesses and by moisture contact. These variables can be addressed, forexample, by altering screw design, resin drying, and feed configuration.The present invention provides improvements in the method ofmanufacturing a preform to minimize the degradative factors discussedabove.

Several methods of manufacturing a barrier layer of a plastic containeron single-stage or multistage injection-molding equipment areenvisioned. These methods include:

(1) metering a polyamide material and an oxygen scavenging material intothe injector screw together with a polyester, such as PET;

(2) compounding the polyamide material and oxygen scavenging material,then adding the resulting mixture into the injector screw, together withthe polyester; and

(3) compounding the polyamide material, oxygen scavenging material, andpolyester, then using the resulting blend for injection molding.

Method (1) cannot be practiced reliably because it requires metering of15 ppm or less, i.e., about 0.05% or less by weight, of the oxygenscavenging material into the injector screw then blending to provide ahomogenous mixture. The disadvantage of method (2) is that the polyamidematerial/oxygen scavenging material blend is temperature, oxygen, andmoisture sensitive, thus the blend typically undergoes significantdegradation during preform manufacture resulting in an unacceptable hazeand yellowing of the container. The disadvantage of method (3) is therequirement of storing large amounts of a blended material having afixed barrier level, thus making the method economically unattractive.

The present method overcomes disadvantages associated with the priormethods, and provides a more facile method of manufacturing containershaving improved barrier performance and appearance. The present methodof preparing a preform yields multilayer or monolayer containers havingexcellent barrier properties, and that reduces degradation of oxygenbarrier properties thereby providing a more esthetic container, e.g.,having a container improved optical properties, such as a reduced haze.

An important feature of the present invention is the preparation of apreblend that is storage stable for at least six months at 25° C. and______% relative humidity. Another important feature is the preparationof a container from a preform of the present invention wherein theoxygen scavenging capabilities of the barrier layer are not activateduntil the container is filled with an aqueous fluid. Accordingly, thecontainer has a long shelf life prior to filling, and a longer oxygenbarrier capability after filling with an aqueous fluid.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a plasticcontainer having sufficient oxygen barrier properties to maintain theintegrity of oxygen-sensitive products, such as beer, packaged in thecontainers. The container also has an excellent appearance. Thecontainer is prepared from a preform by methods well known in the art,and comprises at least one barrier layer comprising a polyester, apolyamide material, and an oxygen scavenging material.

The preform is prepared by an injection-molding or extrusion process. Inparticular, the barrier layer of the preform is prepared as follows. Apreblend containing a diluent polyester, a polyamide material, and anoxygen scavenging material first is prepared. The preblend is added to,and admixed with, a base polyester in an injection screw, prior to theinjection-molding or extrusion step.

In particular, the preblend comprises (a) about 25% to about 75%, byweight, of a diluent polyester, (b) about 25% to about 75%, by weight,of a polyamide material, and (c) about 20 to about 2000 ppm of an oxygenscavenging material. Components (a), (b), and (c) are intimatelyadmixed, and, preferably, formed into pellets or granules for additionto the base polyester. It also is envisioned that a particulate, orpowdered, preblend of (a), (b), and (c) can be added to the basepolyester.

More particularly, the preblend contains about 25% to about 75%, andpreferably about 30% to about 70%, by weight, of the diluent polyester.In more preferred embodiments, the preblend contains about 40% to about60%, by weight, of the diluent polyester.

The diluent polyester is a condensation product of a dibasic acid and aglycol. Typically, the dibasic acid comprises an aromatic dibasic acid,or ester or anhydride thereof, such as isophthalic acid, terephthalicacid, naphthalene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid, naphthalene-2,6,-dicarboxylicacid, phthalic acid, phthalic anhydride, tetrahydrophthalic anhydride,trimellitic anhydride, diphenoxyethane-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid,diphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid, and mixtures thereof. The dibasic acidalso can be an aliphatic dibasic acid or anhydride, such as adipic acid,sebacic acid, decane-1,10-dicarboxylic acid, fumaric acid, succinicanhydride, succinic acid, cyclohexanediacetic acid, glutaric acid,azeleic acid, and mixtures thereof. Other aromatic and aliphatic dibasicacids known to persons skilled in the art also can be used. Preferably,the dibasic acid comprises an aromatic dibasic acid, optionally furthercomprising up to about 20%, by weight of the dibasic acid component, ofan aliphatic dibasic acid.

The glycol, or diol, component of the diluent polyester comprisesethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butane-1,4-diol, diethylene glycol, apolyethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, neopentl glycol, apolytetramethylene glycol, 1,6-hexylene glycol, pentane-1,5-diol,3-methylpentanediol-(2,4), 2-methylpentanediol-(1,4),2,2,4-trimethylpentanediol-(1,3), 2-ethylhexanediol-(1,3),2,2-diethylpropanediol-(1,3), hexanediol-(1,3),1,4-di-(hydroxyethoxy)benzene, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)propane,2,4-dihydroxy-1,1,3,3-tetramethylcyclobutane,2,2-bis-(3-hydroxyethoxyphenyl)propane,2,2-bis-(4-hydroxypropoxyphenyl)propane, 1,4-dihydroxymethylcyclohexane,and mixtures thereof. Additional glycols known to persons skilled in theart also can be used as the glycol component of the diluent polyester.

Two preferred diluent polyesters are PET and PEN. The PET and PEN can behomopolymers, or copolymers further containing up to 10 mole percent ofa dibasic acid different from terephthalic acid or a naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, and/or up to 10 mole percent of a glycol differentfrom ethylene glycol.

As used herein, the term “PEN” refers to polyethylene naphthalene2,6-dicarboxylate, polynaphthalene 1,4-dicarboxylate, polyethylenenaphthalene 1,6-dicarboxylate, polyethylene naphthalene1,8-dicarboxylate, and polyethylene naphthalene 2,3-dicarboxylate.Preferably, PEN is polyethylene naphthalene 2,3-dicarboxylate.

In particular, the diluent polyester preferably comprises PET (e.g.,virgin bottle grade PET or postconsumer PET (PC-PET)), cyclohexanedimethanol/PET copolymer (PETG), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and mixtures thereof.

Suitable polyesters also can include polymer linkages, side chains, andend groups different from the formal precursors of the simple polyesterspreviously specified.

Suitable polyesters for use in the present invention typically have anintrinsic viscosity of about 0.6 to about 1.2, and more preferably about0.7 to about 1.0 (for a 60/40 blend of phenol/tetrachloroethanesolvent). For PET, an intrinsic viscosity value of 0.6 correspondsapproximately to a viscosity average molecular weight of 36,000, and anintrinsic viscosity value of 1.2 corresponds approximately to aviscosity average molecular weight of 103,000.

The diluent polyester optionally can include additives that do notadversely affect the preblend, or preforms or containers preparedthere-from. The optional additives include, but are not limited to,stabilizers, e.g., antioxidants or ultraviolet light screening agents,extrusion aids, drying agents, fillers, anticlogging agents,crystallization aids, impact modifiers, additives designed to make thepolymer more degradable or combustible, dyes, pigments, and mixturesthereof. The optional additives are present in the diluent polyester inan amount of 0% to about 2%, by weight of the diluent polyester,individually, and 0% to about 10%, by weight of the diluent polyester,in total.

In addition to the diluent polyester, the preblend contains about 25% toabout 75%, and preferably about 30% to about 70%, by weight, of apolyamide material. In more preferred embodiments, the preblend containsabout 40% to about 60%, by weight, of the polyamide material.

The polyamide material can be an aromatic polyamide or an aliphaticpolyamide. The polyamide material also can be homopolyamide material ora copolyamide material. An aromatic polyamide, either a homopolymer or acopolymer, is preferred.

A preferred class of polyamide materials is the MX nylons. MX nylons arepolymers containing at least 70 mol% of structural units obtained fromm-xylylenediamine alone or a xylylenediamine mixture containingm-xylylenediamine and p-xylylenediamine in an amount of less than 30% ofthe total amount and an α,ω-aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 6-10carbon atoms.

Examples of MX polymers include homopolymers, such as poly-m-xylyleneadipamide and poly-m-xylylene sebacamide, copolymers, such asm-xylyl-ene/p-xylylene adipamide copolymer, m-xylylene/p-xylylenepyperamide copolymer, and m-xylylene/p-xylylene azelamide copolymer, andcopolymers of these homopolymer or copolymer components and aliphaticdiamines such as hexamethylenediamine, cyclic diamines such aspiperazine, aromatic diamines such as p-bis(2-aminoethyl)benzene,aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as terephthalic acid, lecterns such asε-caprolactam, ω-aminocarboxylic acids such as ω-amino-heptoic acid, andaromatic aminocarboxylic acids such as p-aminobenzoic acid. Optionally,polymers such as nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, and nylon 11 can beincorporated into the MX polymers.

An especially preferred aromatic polyamide is the polymer formed by thepolymerization of meta-xylylenediamine (i.e., H₂NCH₂-m-C₆H₄—CH₂NH₂) andadipic acid (i.e., HO₂C(CH₂)₄CO₂H), for example, a product manufacturedand sold by Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals, Japan, under the designation MXD6.Various grades of MXD6 are available, e.g., grades 6001, 6007, 6021. Apreferred aliphatic polyamide material is nylon 66. Other suitablepolyamides include, for example, GRIVORY® (e.g., GRIVORY® G16 and G21,which are copolyamides having both linear aliphatic units and ring-likearomatic components, available from EMS-Chemie Inc.) and VERSAMID® (analiphatic polyamide typically used as an ink resin and available fromCognis Corporation).

In addition to the diluent polyester and polyamide material, thepreblend contains an oxygen scavenging material. The oxygen scavengingmaterial is present in an amount of about 20 to about 2000, andpreferably about 50 to about 1500 ppm, by weight of the preblend. Inmore preferred embodiments, the preblend contains about 100 to about1000 ppm of the oxygen scavenging material, by weight of the preblend.

An “oxygen scavenger” is any material or compound that can remove oxygenfrom the interior of a closed package, or prevent oxygen from enteringthe interior of the package, either by reacting or combining with theentrapped oxygen, or by promoting an oxidation reaction that yieldsinnocuous products.

The oxygen scavenging material imparts high oxygen barrier properties,i.e., a substantial capacity to withstand the passage of oxygen, to thecontainer. The effect responsible for the barrier properties capacity isreferred to as the oxygen “scavenger”-effect. While not intended to bebound by any theory, it is proposed that oxygen scavenging materialsform active metal complexes having a capacity to bond with oxygen. Thus,the oxygen scavenging material confers high oxygen barrier properties tothe container.

A broad variety of metallic compounds are effective in providing theoxygen scavenging effect, and an appropriate oxygen scavenging materialis selected based on cost acid compatibility with the diluent polyesterand polyamide material of the preblend. A preferred oxygen scavengingmaterial is a metal, or a complex or salt of a metal, selected from thefirst, second, and third transition series of the periodic table. Suchmetals include iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, zinc, nickel, ruthenium,rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. Suitable oxygenscavenging materials for use in the present invention also includealuminum powder, aluminum carbide, aluminum chloride, cobalt powder,cobalt oxide, cobalt chloride, antimony powder, antimony oxide, antimonytriacetate, antimony chloride III, antimony chloride V, iron,electrolytic iron, iron oxide, platinum, platinum on alumina, palladium,palladium on alumina, ruthenium, rhodium, copper, copper oxide, nickel,and mixed metal nano-particles (e.g., cobalt iron oxide nanoparticles).Suitable nanoparticles have an average particle size of less than about200 nm, preferably less than about 100 nm, and more preferably about 5to about 50 nm.

A cobalt, iron, nickel, copper, or manganese compound is the preferredoxygen scavenging material. A cobalt compound is most preferred.Typically, the oxygen scavenging material is present as a salt or acomplex of a metal. The anion of the salt can be inorganic or organic.Examples of anions include halide, especially chloride, acetate,stearate, and octoate. Other oxygen scavenging agents include cobalt(II) bromide and cobalt carboxylate. Cobalt carboxylate is available ascobalt SICCATOL® (trademark of Akzo Chemie Nederland B. V., Amersford,Netherlands). A cobalt carboxylate is a solution of C₈-C₁₀ cobaltcarboxylates and the concentration of cobalt (as metal) is about 10%, byweight, relative to the solution.

The relative amounts of the diluent polyester, polyamide material, andoxygen scavenging material in the preblend is related to variables suchas the identity of the base polyester, the product to be packaged in thecontainer, and the amount of the preblend added to the base polymer. Thepreblend can be in the form of pellets, granules, or a powder.

A general method of preparing one embodiment of a preblend of thepresent invention containing PET, MXD6, and a cobalt oxygen scavengingmaterial on a twin screw extruder follows. In particular, the diluentpolyester (PET) is dried in a fixed bed dessicant dryer, such as a dryermanufactured by Conair. Typical drying conditions for a PET are aboutfour hours at about 160° C. The MXD6 either can be used as supplied insealed foil bags from the manufacture, or can be dried either separatelyor in combination with the PET at about 140° C. A cobalt oxygenscavenging material can be in a liquid form or in a solid form. Thecobalt catalyst can be preblended with one or both of the PET and MXD6in a Henschel mixer (Henschel Industrietecknik GmBH, Kassel, Germany),or pumped separately in liquid form into a feed throat of an extruder.Preferably, the cobalt oxygen scavenging material is introducedconcurrently with at least one of the PET and MXD6 in a first feed zoneof the extruder.

The following Example 1 is a nonlimiting example of a preblendcontaining (a) 46%, by weight, of a PET, (b) 54%, by weight, MXD6, and(c) 500 ppm of cobalt oxygen scavenging material (as cobaltneodecanoate).

EXAMPLE 1

MXD6 Grade 6007 (16.2 pounds), available from Mitsubishi GasCorporation, was admixed with 13.8 pounds of PET Grade 9663, availablefrom Voridian Chemical, and the resulting blend was dried for four hoursat 140° C. To ten pounds of this mixtune was added 2.27 g (500 ppm byweight) cobalt neodecanoate (i.e., 128 ppm based on cobalt ion)available from OM Group, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. The mixture was blendedby hand, then introduced into the feedthroat of a Werner and PfleidererZSK-25 twin screw extruder equipped with a volumetric feeder. The heatedzones of the extruder were maintained between 240° C. and 280° C. Theextruded blend was stranded onto an air-cooled belt, then pelletized.The resulting pellets were recrystallized at 120° C. for four hoursunder vacuum.

As disclosed above, solid particles of the preblend are admixed withsolid particles of a base polymer prior to the injection step of aninjection-molding or extrusion process to provide a barrier layer of apreform. The preforms are converted into containers in subsequentprocess steps. In particular, the preblend particles are metered into,and admixed with, the base polyester particles in the injector screw,prior to the injection step.

The preblend is added to the base polymer in an amount of about 0.5% toabout 20%, and preferably about 1% to about 15%, by weight, of thepreblend/base polyester mixture. In more preferred embodiments, thepreblend is present in an amount of about 2% to about 12%, by totalweight of the preblend/base polyester mixture.

The base polyester can be the same as, or different from, the diluentpolyester of the preblend. The base polymer can comprise a singlepolymer or a mixture of two or more polymers. Suitable base polymersinclude polyesters described above with respect to the identity of thediluent polymer. Like the preblend, the base polyester, orpreblend/-base polyester mixture, can contain optional ingredients knownto persons skilled in the art.

The selection of a base polyester is not especially limited. However, arequirement is compatibility between the base polyester and thecomponents of the preblend. Persons skilled in the art are capable ofselecting the base polyester for use with a particular preblend.Furthermore, the components of the preblend can be selected with a viewto the desired base polyester in order to provide a physically andchemically compatible preblend/base polymer mixture.

The proportion of the preblend to the base polymer also depends onvarious parameters, such as the identity of the components, and weightpercents thereof, in the preblend, the identity of the base polyester,desired barrier effect, particular end use of the container, desiredcontainer shelf life, recyclability, economics, and ease of manufacture.

Numerous multilayer preform and container constructions exist, each ofwhich is adapted for a particular product and/or manufacturing process.A few representative examples follow.

One three-layer construction comprises a barrier layer disposed betweeninner and outer layers. For example, a three-layer sidewall constructionof a container can comprise inner and outer layers of a PET and a corebarrier layer.

A five-layer structure can have relatively thin inner and outerintermediate layers to provide high oxygen barrier properties withoutloss of clarity. Relatively thicker inner and outer layers of PETprovide the necessary strength and clarity. A thin barrier layerprepared as described above provides the necessary barrier effect.

In preferred embodiments, the barrier layer of a multilayer layercontainer has a thickness of about 1 and 10, more preferably betweenabout 2 and 8, and most preferably between about 3 and 6 percent of thetotal container wall thickness.

Several different methods are practiced to prepare containers of thepresent invention.

In one method, a multilayered container is prepared by: (i) providing amixture of a preblend and a base polyester as discussed above; (ii)providing an inner and outer layer material of a suitable formablepolymer; (iii) coinjecting the preblend/base polyester mixture and theinner and outer layer materials to form a multilayered preform; and (iv)heating and expanding the preform to form a container. In an alternativemethod, a multilayered container is prepared by: (i) providing a mixtureof a preblend and a base polyester as discussed above; (ii) providing aninner and outer layer material of a suitable formable polymer; (iii)extruding a multilayer parison tube having inner and outer layers of asuitable formable polymer and a core layer of the preblend/basepolyester mixture; (iv) clamping the parison tube into a hollow cavitymold; (v) blowing the parison against the cavity; and (vi) trimming themolded container.

In yet an alternative method (the “over-injected parison” method), amultilayered container is prepared by: (i) providing a mixture of apreblend and a base polyester as discussed above; (ii) providing aninner and outer layer material of a suitable formable polymer; (iii)extruding a multilayer parison tube having inner and outer layers of asuitable formable polymer and a central barrier layer prepared from thepreblend/base polyester mixtune; (iv) injecting one or more additionallayers of polymer over the parison; (v) clamping the over-injectedparison tube into a hollow cavity mold; (vi) blowing the over-injectedparison against the cavity; and (vii) optionally trimming the moldedcontainer.

In yet another method (called “IOI”), a multilayered container isprepared by: (i) providing a mixture of a preblend and a base polyesteras discussed above; (ii) providing a suitable formable polymer; (iii)injecting the preblend/base polyester mixture to form a preform; (iv)injecting a layer of formable polymer against the preform (e.g., on theoutside surface); and (v) heating and expanding the preform to form acontainer.

In accordance with the present invention, to form a monolayer container,a preform is manufactured by an injection-molding or extrusion processusing the preblend and the base polyester. The preform then is convertedto a container using processes known to persons skilled in the art. Inthe present injection-molding or extrusion process, the base polyesteris introduced into the injector screw. Either at the feed throat or atan appropriate position along the length of the injector screw, apreblend is added to the base copolyester. The preblend is added to thebase polyester at a point to permit sufficient admixing of the moltenbase polyester and the molten preblend to provide a homogeneousadmixture. The base polyester/preblend mixture then is injected orextruded to form a preform. The preform then is heated and expanded, forexample, to form a monolayer container.

In general, in the preparation of a monolayer container or the barrierlayer of a multilayer container, a base polyester/preblend mixture isfed, without exposure to the ambient atmosphere, into a moldingapparatus where, in accordance with conventional techniques, the mixtureis melted and a preform is injection molded or extruded from the moltenblend. For injection molding, the base polyester/-preblend mixture isheld in the compression section of the injection-molding apparatus at atemperature of about 255° C. to about 280° C., preferably about 260° C.to about 275° C., and also in the injection nozzle generally within thesame temperature range. The preform is cooled rapidly in order to remainamorphous.

The amorphous preform subsequently is reshaped into a container. Incertain physical applications, reshaping is effected wherein a preformof amorphous material is expanded in the axial direction and/or in itscircumferential direction into an intermediate preform that is thinnerthan the preform, and preferably is at least a monoaxially orientedmaterial. The intermediate preform subsequently is subjected to furtherexpansion into the final shape of the container. In other physicalapplications, the preform is converted into the container in a singleforming stage. The present method of manufacturing a monolayer containeralso permits the use of post consumer PET, which substantially reducedproduction costs.

The following nonlimiting examples illustrate the present invention andare not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof.

EXAMPLE 2

Carbonated soft drink bottles were manufactured from a base polyesterand a preblend containing 46%, by weight, diluent polyester; 54%, byweight, polyamide material; and 500 ppm cobalt ion, as cobaltneodecanoate.

As set forth in the table below, a preblend was added to the basepolyester in an amount of about 4%, by weight, of the total mixture. Thecontainers prepared from the resulting mixture were tested for barrierand esthetic properties. Carbonated soft drink bottles used in thisexample were prepared in general as follows:

A preblend, such as Example 1, was dried in a Conair dryer for 3 hoursat 140° C. to a maximum moisture content of 50 ppm. The dried preblendwas charged into a volumetric feeder (available commercially fromMaguire Products, Aston, Pa.) mounted on the feedthroat of a Huskyinjection-molding machine. The hopper of the volumetric feeder wasfitted with a nitrogen gas purge to ensure that the dried preblend wasmaintained free of moisture and oxygen during processing. Delivery ofthe volumetric feeder was synchronized electronically with the deliveryof the PET into the feedthroat of the injection screw. The feeder wascalibrated to deliver a predetermined amount of the preblend with eachcycle, typically corresponding to about 1 to about 10 weight percent ofthe total composition. Preforms containing the preblend and base polymerthen were produced in the same manner as preforms containing only PET,as is known in the art. The preforms then were blowmolded according tomethods well known in the art to provide a soft drink bottle, or, afterblowmolding, were subjected to an optional heat set step to providehot-filled juice bottles.

Various containers were prepared by the above method from differentpreblends and different base polymers, then tested for barrierproperties and haze as summarized in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Container No. % Preblend Unfilled Cold Filled % Haze¹⁾ 1 40.0198 0.0137 0.34/0.10 2 4 0.0026 <0.0025 0.07/0.16 3 4 0.0246 <0.00250.07/0.07 4 4 0.0219 0.0043 0.03/0.10 5 4 0.0110 <0.0025 0.06/0.04 6 40.1183 0.0345 2.71/1.41 7 4 0.0213 0.0028 0.20/0.45 ¹⁾two replicatetests.

Containers 1-7 were prepared from the following components. Eachpreblend contained 46 wt % of a PET, 54 wt % of an MXD6, and 500 ppm ofcobalt neodecanoate. The PET of the preblend and the base PET areidentical for each container. All containers were prepared using 4 wt %of the preblend, which provides 20 ppm, respectively, of cobalt ion (ascobalt neodecanoate, available from Eastman Chemicals).

Container 1—a high molecular weight PET (i.e., TRAYTUF 8506, availablefrom M&G Polymer USA, LLC, Houston, Tex.), MXD6 (Grade 6121 availablefrom Mitsubishi Gas Corporation);

Container 2—TRAYTUF 8506 PET, MXD6 (Grade 6007);

Container 3—Eastman 9663 PET, available from Eastman Chemical, MXD6(Grade 6007);

Container 4—Eastman 9663 PET, MXD6 (Grade 6007);

Container 5—TRAYTUF 8506 PET, MXD6 (Grade 6007);

Container 6—Eastman 9663 PET, MXD6 (Grade 6121); and

Container 7—TRAYTUF 8506 PET, MXD6 (Grade 6121).

The different PET components had essentially the same intrinsicviscosity. The different MXD6 components varied in molecular weight andviscosity.

The data in Table 1 summarizes oxygen permeability for unfilledcontainers and containers cold filled with water for 48 hours. Oxygentransmission measurements were performed on a Macon Oxtran 2/20 Model MLand SM that was adapted for use with 10 oz. (295 ml) bottles at ambienttemperature and humidity. The containers were conditioned for 24 to 48hours prior to each measurement. The test provided Mocon data for a120-hour examination time and illustrates oxygen permeability in ccO₂/package/day. Table 1 also contains data from a haze test performedusing a Hunter Laboratories Colorquest apparatus.

The data in Table 1 shows that containers prepared from preformsmanufactured in accordance with the present method provided excellentoxygen barrier properties, especially in the cold filled containerswherein the cobalt/MXD6 barrier system has been activated. The % hazevalues show that the containers also exhibit an excellent appearance inaddition to high barrier properties.

In particular, the unfilled containers exhibited an oxygen permeabilitygreater than cold filled containers, e.g., about 10 times greater. Thisillustrates that the oxygen barrier properties of containersmanufactured in accordance with the present invention are initiatedafter the container is filled. This is an important aspect of thepresent invention because, after activation, oxygen barrier propertiesdegrade over time. By initiating oxygen barrier properties afterfilling, as opposed to during unfilled storage, a product packaged inthe container is protected for a longer period of time.

The present method overcomes problems associated with prior methods ofmanufacturing containers comprising a polyester, a polyamide material,and an oxygen scavenging material. First, the preblend is stable over aprolonged time period prior to forming the preform. The presence of adiluent polyester prevents or retards activation of the oxygen barriercomplex, and allows storage of the preblend for several months prior tomanufacture of a preform. This feature is a significant economic benefitto container manufacturers. Second, because oxygen barrier propertiesare not activated until a container is filled, the present method allowsthe manufacture of a container having excellent barrier and estheticproperties long after the container has been made.

The present method also permits a homogeneons distribution of the oxygenscavenging material throughout the polyester, reduces degradation of theoxygen barrier effect because of a premature contact and activation ofthe polyamide-oxygen scavenging metal complex, increases thermalstability of the PET/preblend mixture resulting in improved stability,and is facile and economically attractive. Importantly, the preparationof the preblend minimizes or eliminates contact between the polyamidematerial and the oxygen scavenging material prior to incorporation intothe base polyester. This in turn eliminates premature activation of theoxygen scavenging complex, i.e., premature oxidation, which reduces theoxygen barrier properties of the monolayer container.

Containers manufactured using the present method exhibited permeabilitycoefficients for oxygen of between 0.1 and 0.01. Thus, these containersare especially well suited as a package for products wherein high oxygenbarrier properties are required.

A multilayer or a monolayer container of the present invention providesexcellent oxygen barrier properties and esthetic properties forpackaging products such as carbonated soft drinks. A present containeris particularly useful in packaging products such as beer, citrusproducts, tomato-based products, and aseptically packaged meat, becausesuch products rapidly lose flavor due to oxygen migration into thebottle.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention ashereinbefore set forth can be made without departing from the spirit andscope thereof and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed asare indicated by the appended claims.

1-33. (canceled)
 34. A plastic container, comprising: an extruded orinjection molded container having a barrier layer formed from a meltblended admixture of a base polyester and a preblend, the preblendcomprising: a diluent polyester, a polyamide material that comprises apolymer containing m-xylylenediamine monomer units, p-xylylenediaminemonomer units, or a mixture thereof, and cobalt or a complex or saltthereof present in the preblend an amount of 20 to 2,000 parts permillion by weight; and wherein the plastic container is stable duringunfilled storage and the barrier layer has an oxygen scavenging propertythat is activated after filling the container with an aqueous fluid, andwherein activation results from filling.
 35. The plastic container ofclaim 34, wherein the plastic container comprises a monolayer plasticcontainer.
 36. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein the plasticcontainer comprises a multilayer plastic container.
 37. The plasticcontainer of claim 36, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness ofbetween about 1 and 10 percent of the total container wall thickness.38. The plastic container of claim 36, wherein the plastic containerincludes an inner layer and an outer layer in addition to the barrierlayer.
 39. The plastic container of claim 36, wherein the inner andouter layers each comprise a polyethylene terephthalate layer.
 40. Theplastic container of claim 34, wherein plastic container includes afive-layer structure.
 41. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein theplastic container comprises a soft drink bottle.
 42. The plasticcontainer of claim 34, further including a food or beverage productpackaged therein.
 43. The plastic container of claim 42, wherein thefood or beverage product comprises beer, a citrus product, atomato-based product, or an aseptically packaged meat.
 44. The plasticcontainer of claim 34, wherein the plastic container comprises a preformthat includes about 10 to about 80 ppm, by weight, of cobalt or a saltor complex thereof.
 45. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein thediluent polyester comprises a homopolymer or a copolymer of apolyethylene terephthalate, a polyethylene naphthalate, a polybutyleneterephthalate, a cyclohexane dimethanol/polyethylene terephthalatecopolymer, or a mixture thereof.
 46. The plastic container of claim 34,wherein the base polyester is a virgin bottle grade polyester and theadmixture consists essentially of the base polyester and the preblend.47. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein the polyamide materialcomprises a polymerization product of m-xylyenediamine and adipic acid.48. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein the preblend and the basepolyester are admixed in an amount of 0.5% to 20%, by weight, of thepreblend, and 80% to 99.5%, by weight, of the base polyester.
 49. Theplastic container of claim 48, wherein the cobalt or a salt or complexthereof is present in the preblend in an amount of about 100 to about1,000 parts per million.
 50. The plastic container of claim 34, whereinthe preblend comprises about 30% to about 70%, by weight, of the diluentpolyester comprising a polyethylene terephalate, a polyethylenenaphthalate, or a mixture thereof; about 30% to about 70%, by weight, ofthe polyamide material; and about 50 to about 1500 ppm, by weight, ofcobalt or a salt or complex thereof.
 51. The plastic container of claim34, wherein the base polyester and the diluent polyester are eachindependently selected from a polyethylene terephthalate, apolynaphthalene terephthalate, a polybutylene terephthalate, acyclohexane dimethanol/polyethylene terephthalate copolymer, or amixture thereof.
 52. The plastic container of claim 34, wherein theplastic container has an oxygen permeability of 0.035 cc O₂/package/dayor less after filling with water for 48 hours.
 53. The plastic containerof claim 34, wherein the plastic container has an oxygen permeability incc O₂/package/day after filling with water for 48 hours, that is lessthan the oxygen permeability of the container prior to filling withwater, and wherein activation of oxygen-scavenging results from filling.